Reporter's Toolbox
Reporter’s Toolbox
Connect with your fellow education reporters and workshop your story ideas.
State of the Education Beat 2021
Survey of Education Journalists Sheds Light on Impact, Obstacles
Who are today’s journalists on the education beat? What obstacles do they face as they seek to inform the public? Where do they turn for information? What do they believe needs to change about their own profession?
EWA partnered with the EdWeek Research Center once again to answer these and other questions in State of the Education Beat 2021. The new report is based on a national survey of more than 400 education journalists – plus follow-up interviews with a smaller group of education reporters and editors.
EWA Reporter Guides
Reporter Guides are how-to documents on best practices for education journalists.
Story Labs are blueprints for tackling complex topics: Essential background, research to consider, questions to ask, sources to tap, and story ideas to steal.
Tip Sheets
The Education Writers Association offers tip sheets with story ideas, reporting, advice and lists of resources on a variety of education topics and journalistic skills.
Help Is at Hand, When You Need It
You’re on deadline, and you want to know if the new report that plopped on your desk comes from an organization with an agenda. You have a simple question you want answered fast, or a complex project you want to talk through. You’re new to the beat and having trouble getting officials, or middle schoolers, to talk to you. Or you’ve been on the beat forever and are dying for a new take on the snow-day story, the budget-rollout story, or the perennial story about college-admissions angst.
Whatever your needs, the public editor will be there to help.
Multimedia
A variety of interviews, keynotes and panel discussions with journalists, experts and newsmakers.
The Glossary of Education Reform
For Journalists, Parents, and Community Members
The Glossary of Education Reform (edglossary.org) is a public, online resource that defines and describes major terms, concepts, and strategies in public-education reform. The website was created by the Great Schools Partnership in collaboration with the Education Writers Association and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
Don’t let the sticker price fool you
Don’t let the sticker price fool you.
The updated 2018 version of the web tool shows what students really pay for college, based on their family income.
Search for the cost trends and real prices of more than 3,800 colleges and universities in the United States. And check out quality indicators like graduation rates and diversity.
New to the Beat?
If you’re new to journalism, or if you’re a veteran reporter covering education for the first time, here are a few quick resources to get you up to speed.
Reporting Fellowships
Through a competitive application process, the Education Writers Association’s fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects. EWA offers several opportunities throughout the year to apply; typically in the fall and spring, although additional rounds may also be offered. To learn more, check out the FAQ page for our most recent round of the program.
2021 New to the Beat Program
Do you have fewer than two years’ experience covering education? Could you use some extra support and guidance from a veteran of the education beat (and from EWA)?
Apply to join New to the Beat, one of EWA’s most popular programs. Now in its sixth year, New to the Beat offers a unique opportunity to sharpen your skills, connect with your peers, and develop your knowledge of the essentials of K-12 and higher education.
We will pair you up with a skilled mentor who is an experienced education journalist. And we’ll kick things off with two afternoons of virtual workshops, to be held March 12 and March 19. Rookies will also be expected to participate in EWA’s National Seminar, to be held May 2-5, 2021.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Attendance at the online training is required. The event will cover beat basics like making the most of open records, how to find and use education research, and give you a crash course in navigating education policy and politics. Participants will also learn how to use federal databases; and how to take your writing and interviewing skills to the next level.
The mentorship program lasts six months. You will be required to produce a substantive piece of reporting that reflects your participation in the program, and we need your editor to approve your participation. Both K-12 and higher education reporters are encouraged to apply. (Do you cover preschool or a combination of education beats? We’d love to hear from you.)
In addition to the mentorship and additional support from EWA’s public editor, participants will benefit from specialized programming, webinars, and resources geared to their needs. Reporters will be expected to produce at least one substantive news story that reflects new skills and knowledge gained through participation in the program. (Reporters choose their own topics, and retain full editorial control over the story.)
Questions? Start with the FAQ. If you still have additional questions, please email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond.